NDSU Saddle and Sirloin host 100th annual Little International
On Feb. 14, North Dakota State University’s Saddle and Sirloin club celebrated its 100th annual Little International event. The event is the longest-running and largest student-sponsored event on campus.
Little “I” is the annual livestock show featuring showmanship classes of beef, dairy, sheep, swine and goats, as well as lamb lead, ham curing and public speaking.
Saddle and Sirloin is a student-run organization dedicated to promoting agricultural education and leadership through hands-on experiences and community engagement. With over 300 members, the club provides opportunities for students to develop skills in livestock management, public speaking and agricultural advocacy.
For the 100th event, the student leaders treated it like any other year.
Linnea Axtman, a senior studying business administration, served as Little I Queen. She led publicity efforts, promoting the event through over 20 TV and radio interviews. On show day, she could be found selling raffle tickets, interviewing alumni and greeting people. From speaking in the spotlight to helping prepare meals behind the scenes, Linnea recalls the months leading up to the event being a lot of work by everyone.
“It’s something I’ll always look back on fondly,” says Linnea, who also serves as the Saddle and Sirloin secretary.
She remembers seeing the dedication and passion of the event organizers and royalty when she went to her first Little I during her first year attending NDSU.
“We spent a lot of time thinking about how the show has grown so much in the last century but also how it has also stayed true to the values and core traditions throughout the years,” says Linnea.
The 2026 theme was “Living Shepperd’s Vision,” which Linnea says extends beyond the event to the community that J. H. Shepperd, agriculturist and North Dakota Agricultural College president, helped create on campus.
This year’s event placed greater emphasis on alumni, and it was well attended by past NDSU Animal Science graduates coming from all over the northern Great Plains. Linnea says she had the opportunity to meet with many past royalty at the event, which she says felt very special.
Over 400 people attended the Agriculturist of the Year banquet, according to Taiton Axtman, the Little I show manager.
Taiton spent months planning and coordinating the details to bring the event to life. He helped guide the 27 committee chairs that ran the event and supported over 150 students who showed animals.
Taiton kept all the Little I players in line, “from the emcees to the pooper scoopers.”
Additionally, with the Shepperd Arena building set to be replaced soon, he says he needed to have some “difficult conversations about maintenance and access.”
Taiton says the event was a success in many ways — he estimates it had the record number of both contestants and attendants, as well as the highest amount of ad dollars donated. However, he looks past the numbers the centennial event drew.
Giving people a chance to experience the ring and connecting students with North Dakota agriculture were what mattered most to him.
“We’re proud of the big, grand show we put on this year,” says Taiton, “but we’re more proud of the opportunities we give the students. Not only do they learn about animal husbandry, but also building their student leadership skills, learning how to problem-solve and working with committee members.”
Linnea and Taiton are twin siblings, and Linnea thinks that’s a pretty special part of her Little I experience.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better Queen to do it alongside,” says Taiton.
Taiton credits their parents for teaching the two “how to work with people, how to get along and have tough conversations when they need to be had.”
Linnea says her time in Saddle and Sirloin helped her find her place on campus and a community in which she belonged.
“The clubs, the opportunities, the connections — these are the things I take from NDSU that’ll make the lasting impacts,” says Linnea.
She urges new students to get involved in clubs like Saddle and Sirloin early in their time at NDSU.
